These Haunted Skies
by DarksaberX
Summary: Warlocks. Male witches. Akira Osaragi is the first warlock to join the newly reformed 501st JFW. He's handsome, quirky, and extremely strong. But with a past that that won't let him go and powers he can barely control, will Akira and the girls be able to fight off the deadliest breed of Neurio yet?
1. PrologueSetting the Stage

The teacher looked out at her students, all eagerly sitting, awaiting for her to begin. She knew they had been looking forward to today's lesson for quite some time. She grinned and cleared her throat.

"Everyone ready?" she asked, looking around the room. They responded with a chorus of "yeses" and "absolutelys". She grinned again. "Right, let's start."

She turned and wrote a single word on the blackboard and then pointed to it.

"Warlock," she said, letting the word sink in. "A male witch. An ancient name, for an ancient people. For as long as there have been witches, so too have there been warlocks. But what, if any, are the differences between the two? Does anyone know?"

They all shook their heads and there were a few scattered "nos" from around the room.

"Well, first, you have to understand a few more basic things," She said, writing more down as she spoke. "To start, where does magical power come from? The answer is, it comes from EVERYTHING. All living creatures generate energy. They do this because it is a natural process. It's how life goes on. However, living things also tend to produce more energy than they need. While most of this energy is consumed, some of it is not. Some of the excess is stored for later use, while some of it simply dissipates over time. However, the rest, indeed the majority, of the left over energy is bled off into the universe around the creature. This energy, overtime, has saturated the world. Where ever there is life, there is magic. It's literally that simple."

One of the students raised her hand, and the teacher nodded at her.

"So why can witches and warlocks use magic, but normal humans can't?" he asked.

The teacher smiled. "Good question, Jeremy. Well, that question is twofold, because the answer is different for witches and warlocks, respectively. We'll start with witches."

"A witches magical power comes from within themselves. Almost all living beings are born with magic energy inside them. For most, this magic is the most infinitesimal amount, barely even noticeable, and certainly not enough to do anything with it. Witches, however, are born with far more magical energy inside of them. No one knows why this happens; several theories have been thrown around, but none have ever been proven well enough to be accepted."

Here she paused and took a drink from her water bottle. "Now, when a witch taps into her magical energy, she is essentially tapping into her soul. This is why whenever a witch uses her powers, they sprout ears and tails. This is their soul-self showing through. This is also why witches powers vary so wildly from one person to another. Each soul is unique, just as the personality of each witch is unique. Therefore, each witch has different powers. Some powers, such as the famous Yoshika Miyafuji's healing ability, can be passed down from one generation to the next, but for the most part, the powers a witch has are based entirely on the witch herself."

Another student raised a hand. The teacher nodded at her.

"You said ALMOST all creatures are born with magic inside them," the girl said, making it a question. The teacher grinned.

"Good catch, Kayla! Yes, I did say that, and there was a reason for it. Warlocks are the exception to this rule. In fact, it's what makes them warlocks. Everything I've just told you about witches? None of it applies to warlocks. In fact, much of it is the exact opposite."

She took another drink. "Warlocks are born with NO magical energy within themselves. Now, as I've taught you, nature doesn't like a vacuum. Because of this, a warlock's soul acts like a vacuum, constantly pulling magical energy into them from their surroundings. This means that warlock's powers are mostly uniform across the board with variations according to personalities. Warlocks all have the ability to manipulate the seven base elements: air, fire, earth, water, light, shadow, and cosmic. This also means that it takes significantly longer for a warlock to tire out that a witch. Because they can draw on power from outside themselves, it's much less strenuous for them. There is a limit to how much power they can draw in, however. They can overtax their ability to draw power in, what warlocks call 'burn out', but it takes them longer to reach this point than witches."

"Another difference is that unlike a witch, a warlocks power doesn't fade as they get older. In fact, up to a certain point, they continually get STRONGER as they grow and their body can handle drawing in larger amounts of power. Now, like witches, when a warlock uses their powers, their appearance changes slightly to show their soul self. Unlike witches, warlocks can take this a step further."

"What do you mean?" asked one of the students.

"Warlocks have a secondary ability called _anima proelium_, which is Latin for 'battle soul'. In this form, a warlock fully manifests their soul self. There are roughly fifty seven known types of battle souls, each with different powers. While all are very powerful, some are more so than others. These types tend to appear far less frequently than the others, some of them taking as long as 500 years or more to reappear."

"So how will this help us?" asked one of the students.

"Nobody is really sure," the teacher replied. "With this new breed of Neuroi, nothing is certain. All I know for a fact is that they have resurfaced when humanity needed them most, and they, just like the witches they stand beside, may be our only chance of survival."


	2. Introductions and earning a place

"What the hell am I doing here?" Akira Osaragi muttered to himself as he stood in the hallway outside the briefing room, fidgeting nervously. The 11 members of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, the famed Strike Witches, were just on the other side of that door. What on earth could the new council have been thinking, throwing him in like this? It was madness! Akira was 17, and tall, at just over 6' 2". He was well built, muscled, but in a lean and corded way, not overly buff, which belied how strong he actually was. He had piercing blue-gray eyes, and a spiky shock of ice-blonde hair that gave him a very striking appearance. He had small, jagged scar on his right jaw, and another one on the back of his right hand.

The door opened and he jumped in startled surprise. "You can come in now," said Major Mio Sakamoto, gesturing into the room behind her. He swallowed nervously, then squared his shoulders and stepped past her.

He stood at attention and saluted smartly. "Sergeant Akira Osaragi reporting for duty as ordered," he said quietly, but firmly.

"What? A GUY?" said a voice off to his left, and he turned to look at the speaker. Red jacket, red hair. He took a deep breath through his nose.

"You're... Charlotte Yeager, 18, from the United States of Liberion," he said after a moment. "Your magical power allows you to boost the performance of your Striker, causing your speed to increase exponentially. You manifest the ears and tail of a rabbit when you equip your Striker, which you have nicknamed 'Merlin'. You're also the first person to have ever broken the sound barrier." She was staring at him, her mouth hanging open, and he blushed suddenly. "Crap, I did it again, didn't I?"

"How did you know all that about her?" one of the girls asked. "There's no way you could have known all that, even if you'd read our personnel files."

He turned to the girl and sniffed again. "...Perrine Clostermann, 17, of Gallia. You're the heiress of the Clostermann family, a powerful and wealthy member of the Gallian nobility. You feel that you're responsible for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Gallia after its liberation from the Neuroi and have contributed your entire salary toward this end. You have also donated the use of your ancestral lands for agriculture and family castle as a school and sanctuary for children orphaned by the war." He blinked and then smacked his forehead. "Dammit, I really need to stop that!"

"Explain yourself, Sergeant Osaragi," demanded Sakamoto. "How did you gain access to that information?" Her tone was dangerous.

Akira shook his head and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Please, I didn't mean to scare any of you. The truth is, I gained all that knowledge from you." He tapped the side of his nose with two fingers. "I read it from your scent."

"Our scent?" asked another of the girls.

Akira nodded. "Mhm, watch. Hold out your arm." The girl did so, and he took her hand and sniffed her palm before letting go. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "Francesca Lucchini, 14, from the Duchy of Romagna. With a rank of Ensign, your unit affiliation was with Romagna's Sovrana Aeronautica Romagniana 4th Air Unit. You have the power to concentrate energy into a point in front of you and release it in one powerful burst. Working with your best friend Charlotte Yeager, who throws you, you can use this ability to greatly damage an enemy." He opened his eyes and grinned at her dumbfounded expression. "See? For those with the power to read it, a person's scent holds all kinds of information about them."

"But how can you DO that?" asked Charlotte.

Akira shrugged. "What do you mean, how? I'm a warlock, aren't I?" There was dead silence. Akira looked around in confusion. The girls were all looking at him with mingled looks of fear, dread, and suspicion. "Wait, what? Why're you all looking at me like that?"

"Well, you see..." one of the girls said, and hesitated when he looked at her, before continuing. "You see, the last time we came across something called a warlock, it didn't end well."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked, then paused and took a deep sniff, letting the scent, and memories, flow into him. "Oooooooh, I see. Yeah, no, that's not at all what I meant."

They looked confused for a moment. "I read the memory from your scents because you were all thinking about it just now. Yeah, no, I'm not a machine, and I'm DEFINITELY not a Neuroi. A warlock is a male witch. The army stole our name for their weapon."

He now had all the names and face fixed into his memory, so he knew it was Yoshika when she spoke up. "A male witch? I've never heard of that before though!"

"I have, though I never thought I'd meet one," said a voice from the door. Akira turned and then stiffened and saluted sharply. "Commander!"

Commander Minna Wilcke smiled and waved a hand at him. "At ease, Osaragi, you don't need to be so formal with all of us. We're friends, or at least we try to be."

"I'm sorry if I'm out of place, but did you not tell them anything about me?" Akira asked, looking from the commander to the girls and back again.

Minna shook her head. "Actually, I didn't get a chance. I wasn't notified of your transfer to our unit until a little under and hour before you were supposed to land, and at the time I was occupied with other things and couldn't get away long enough to inform the others about you."

Akira nodded and turned back to the girls and shrugged. "Well, not sure what to tell you, really. Yes, I am a warlock. I'm a male witch. I was just recently assigned to your unit as an experiment by the top brass to see if witches and warlocks can work together in an integrated unit."

Before they could talk more, the alarm went off over their heads.

"Battle stations! Everyone to your Strikers!" Minna yelled over the howling of the alarm. As the others sprinted from the room, she turned to Akira. "You ready, flyboy? This is your chance to show us what you're made of."

Akira grinned at her. "Commander, it will be my pleasure."

They raced to the hanger, and as the girls all jumped into their Strikers, Akira dashed across the hanger and opened a large storage crate that had been stacked against the wall.

"Where's your Striker?" Yoshika called over the roar of the engines. Akira yelled something back, but it was lost over the rush of the others starting to take off. "What?! I didn't hear you!"

He finally succeeded in pulling a long, flat object out of the box and turned, pulling the wrapping off it. "I said, warlocks don't need Strikers," he said, grinning at her. In his hands was something that looked like a surfboard, though it was a little shorter, only about three feet long. I was made of polished steel, with black chrome around the edges and two red stripes down the center. On the back where what appeared to be four jet engines, each about the size of his hand. He threw it down, but it stopped and hovered about a foot off the ground. Yoshika stared in amazement as he grinned even wider. "We use these boards, which we call skyblades." With that, he fed a burst of magic energy into the engines, and shot from the hanger with a whoosh of air and wail of thrusters.

They caught up with the others and quickly formed up. The other girls stared at him for a moment before turning their attention to the swarm of Neuroi that was rapidly approaching from the south.

"Sergeant Osaragi!" Sakamoto yelled through the radio link. "Where are your weapons? You will turn back this instant and get your damn gun!"

Akira simply shook his head and laughed, surging ahead of the girls with a huge burst of speed.

"Sorry, major," he said, grinning back at her over his shoulder. "I forgot to mention, I don't need weapons. My magic is more than enough!"

"Your…magic is enough?" she repeated, looking at the other girls in confusion. Before any of them could catch up to him, he had reached the leading edge of the Neuroi swarm. They opened fire on him, their beams lancing across the sky with lethal power. Several beams converged on him from multiple directions.

"Look out!" Yoshika yelled, throwing herself forward in a vain attempt to save him.

"_Pro Muro!_" Akira yelled, throwing his arms out wide, and several blue shields flashed up around him, deflecting the beams harmlessly into the sea below. He then brought his arms together in front of him, palms out. "_Tonitruum ictus!_"

Lightning flashed from his hands and lashed out at the closest six Neuroi, which all exploded with brilliant flashes. He made a sweeping gesture with his hand, which glowed silver with magic power. "_Ingenti vento!_" A massive shockwave of air blasted out from him, swatting a dozen more Neuroi out of the air to crash into the sea below.

A beam flashed past him, grazing his cheek. He winced and then glared up at the Neuroi who had fired at him. "You'll pay for that," he snarled. He brought his hands together and slowly drew them apart, a sphere of golden-white energy forming between them. He drew his arm back and then launched it into the heart of the Nueroi swarm. "_Solaris eruptio!_"

The world seemed to tear itself apart. There was a blinding flash and the most tremendous roar the girls had ever heard. When their sight cleared and their ears stopped ringing, they were able to see the glittering fragments of hundreds of Neuroi fluttering down through the air. The few remaining Neuroi had retreated, and we rapidly fading into the distance. Akira watched them for a moment before turning around to the girls and grinning hugely.

"Well, I think that about does it for that batch, don't you?" he asked, gliding back over to where the rest of them hovered, mouths open, totally stunned. He turned to Minna and winked at her. "I think that proves that I belong here as much as any of you, doesn't it? Now come on, let's head back. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm absolutely starving!" He soared past them, headed for home. They stared at each other for a few moments, before Yoshika started to giggle.

The others looked at her in confusion, which made her laugh even harder. "I wish you guys could see the looks on your faces!' she chocked out, then turned and flew after Akira, still laughing."Hey, wait up, Akira!"

Shirley shrugged, smiled. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life, so I say he's in. Hey, wait up you two!" She took off after them. The others followed after her, all of them grinning and laughing.

Akira, ahead of them, laughed in giddy elation and executed a flawless Immelmann turn and turned it into a series of high speed corkscrews. He was in! They had accepted him as one of them. He laughed again and punched the air. Finally, he felt like his life was back on track. He just hoped it would stay that way.


	3. We're here for you

THREE MONTHS LATER

Akira arched his back and turned over hard, the Neuroi fighter streaking by under him. He jinked to the left, then dropped straight down, curling around onto the tail of the second Neuroi that was close behind the first. He made a jabbing gesture with two fingers at the Neuroi.

"_Rivus!_" he cried, and the Neuroi was instantly engulfed in flames, burned to cinders, and scattered by the wind in a matter of seconds. He spun around and pointed at the first fighter that had tried to swing around behind him again. "_Procella!_" Lightning cracked from his fingertip and struck the Neuroi ship head on, and it exploded with a huge flash.

He turned again and saw a fighter had swung around behind Yoshika and she couldn't get it off her back. Just as it fired, he threw out a hand towards her. "_Pro muro!_" he yelled, and several shields flashed up around her, deflecting the fighter's attack. She turned and blasted it to dust with her machine gun, then turned and grinned at him.

"Thanks, Akira!" she called over the radio, then shot off in hot pursuit of another Neuroi. Akira took a moment to catch his breath and get his bearings. He turned in a circle. A large portion of the Neuroi swarm, or what was left of it, was retreating back the way they had come, and the remainder where just being blown away by the other. Someone touched his shoulder and he jerked in surprise, spinning around.

Lynette laughed at his reaction. "Relax, silly, it's just me," she said, coming to hover next to him. "We're pretty much done here. How you holding up?"

Akira wiped sweat from his face with his shirt and took a gulp from a water bottle he kept clipped to his belt. Using his magic always made him thirsty for some reason. "I'm doing okay. I am nearing my limit though, so it's a good thing that these are the last of them. Is it just me, or do the swarms keep getting bigger?"

Lynette looked a little grim. "It's not you; they ARE getting bigger. What's more, the fighters are getting faster and smarter with each attack. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep ahead of them at this rate."

"Hey, don't think like that," Yoshika said, soaring over to them. "I'm sure we'll think of something to beat them. We always have before."

Akira nodded. "Yoshika's right, I'm sure we'll figure something out. Until then, we just have to keep fighting and never lose hope."

**TWO HOURS LATER**

Akira sighed in pleasure, sinking to his chin in the hot water of the bathing room. The heat soaked into his tired body, easing his aches and soothing the knots in sore muscles. He twisted his head first one way, then the other, and was rewarded with a series of loud pops. He sighed again, feeling some more of the tension and tiredness flow out of him. He could hear the girls in the room next to his, laughing and chattering.

He was a little sad that he couldn't be in there with, not for perverted reasons, but simply because he would have enjoyed their company. He liked talking to them. They were all intelligent, full of personality and life. Especially Yoshika. As someone who wasn't initially part of the group, he could see how Yoshika was in many ways the glue that held the girls together.

She was the emotional anchor, a role that he was pretty sure she was completely unaware of. "Rivus," he muttered, and his water warmed up a bit more, having lost some of its heat as he sat there thinking. After a while longer, his stomach growled and he grinned to himself.

He got out of the tub and drained it, then got dressed and headed for the dinning hall. He got something to eat, then decided to got for a walk. The moon was up, and the stars glittered brightly, studding the velvety blue-black backdrop of the night sky like diamonds. He wandered aimlessly for a time, eventually ending up at the end of the runway.

He sat down, his legs hanging over the edge, simply gazing up at the stars, lost in thought. Eventually he laid back, his hands behind his head, still looking up. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

And then he dreamed.

_Akira turned slowly in a circle, looking at the faces of the elders around him. His heart pounded in his chest; he was both scared and excited._

_"Akira Osaragi, step forth," said the elder in the center, beckoning with two fingers. Akira gulped and stepped forwards to stand in the middle of the room. _

_The elder warlock smiled. "Relax, young one, there's nothing for you to worry about."_

_Akira nodded nervously. "Yes, my lord. If I may ask, why was I summoned before this council?"_

_The man to the right of the head elder smiled at him encouragingly. "It's because you have passed the trails!" said his father, standing up and coming around the table to hug him heartily._

_"I...wait...what?" Akira said, completely shocked. He had thought he was about to get yelled at for the incident with the fireworks yesterday. "I passed the trails?"_

_The head elder nodded. "Indeed you did, my boy. And not only passed them, you aced them. Perfect scores all the way across the board. You are now officially an adept."_

_Akira's jaw dropped, totally shocked now. "I'm...an adept?" he repeated softly. _

_Before anyone could say anything , there was a blinding flash, and a tremendous blast of heat washed over him. A huge shockwave picked him up and slammed him against the wall. He must have blacked out for a few moments, because when he opened his eyes, the room was choked with dust and smoke. Hacking and coughing, Akira pushed himself to his feet and stumbled forwards._

_"Dad?" he called, looking around. "Dad?"_

_He took a few steps forward until he heard something splash underfoot. He looked down and saw a dark pool slowly spreading outwards from a pile of stone and wood from where the walls and ceiling had once been on the eastern side of the room. Now there was a gaping hole, and outside, the city was burning. Black shapes sailed slowly through the sky, and crimson beams of energy lanced downwards from them, laying down swathes of destruction. _

_He heard a cough and turned. Then he saw his father. _

_"DAD!" he cried, dashing over, and then dropping to his knees next to him. He was covered in blood, a huge, ragged hole in his stomach, and his left arm was missing. "No no no nonononono, Dad! Dad!"_

_His father opened his eyes slowly, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. "Akira...you...y-y-you h-have t-t-to...get out of h-here," he said, his voice weak and thready._

_Akira shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "No! I won't leave you! We have to get you out of here!"_

_His father suddenly grabbed his wrist with an iron grip. "No, Akira, i-it's...it's t-to late f-for me. I'm already d-dead. You n-n-need to l-live."_

_"No! I can't leave you behind!" _

_"Go!_ Volnus!_" A gust of wind slammed into him, knocking him backwards out of the hole in the wall. He crashed to the ground but instantly stood back up. He took two steps towards the house when another brilliant beam of energy arched down from one of the machines overhead. It struck the ceiling and the house exploded outwards, sending Akira to the ground. _

_The dust cleared, and all that was left in front of him was a smoking hole._

_"No," he whispered. "No. N-no, it can't...this can't be...be happening. No, Dad...Dad...DAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"_

"NO!" Akira sat up with a strangled cry. He was panting and shaking, and he was soaked with sweat. He flopped back down and threw an arm over his eyes. Dammit, why now? He hadn't had that dream in almost three years! Why did it have to come back now? He didn't want to relive it every time he closed his eyes!

"Akira?"

He opened his eyes and looked around in surprise. Yoshika stood nearby, a look of concern on her face.

"Oh, hey, Yoshika," he said, his voice hoarse and rough. He cleared his throat. "What's up?"

She stepped closer and looked at him closely. "Are...are you okay? I heard you yell from over by the hanger and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm...I'm fine," he said after a moments hesitation. "Thanks, though.

She sat down next to him. "You sure? It sure looks like something's bothering you."

"I said I'm fine!" he snapped. She drew back with a little gasp of surprise at his vehemence. He froze for moment, then sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I'm sorry, Yoshika, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I'm really okay, I just fell asleep out here and had a bad dream."

"Oh," she said, and sat quietly next to him for a moment. "Do...do you want to talk about it?"

He smiled a little in spite of his roiling emotions. "No, it's alright, I'll be fine."

"Don't lie, Akira."

They both turned in surprise to see Shirley standing behind them. She came over and sat down on the other side of Akira, wrapping both her arms around one of his and pulling over so he was forced to look at her.

"I can tell you're lying," she said quietly, her face and voice more serious than either of them had ever seen her before. "It was more than just a bad dream, wasn't it?"

Akira sat very still for a long moment, then looked at the ground and nodded slowly. "Yes, it was. It was also far worse."

Slowly, haltingly, he told them. When he was done, they all sat quietly for a while.

"So," Yoshika said slowly after a time. "Your father died saving you during the first Neuroi attack."

"It wasn't just him," he said, his voice tight with anger.

"What do you mean?" asked Shirley.

"We found out later it was all the major warlock schools," he explained. "Haven't you ever wondered why none of us have shown up to fight before now?"

"Now that you mention it, I had thought it was a little odd that you only now came forward," Shirley said, looking up at the stars thoughtfully.

"It's because they targeted us," Akira said bitterly. "The Neuroi, I mean. We only figured this out recently. For some reason, warlock magic is VERY effective against the Neuroi, They're vulnerable to it. Something about our magic disrupts their regenerative powers, preventing them from healing any damage caused by warlock magic. Somehow, the Neuroi were aware of this when they first appeared all those years ago, and they specifically targeted warlocks and warlock schools in their initial attacks."

They looked at him in shock, but he went on. "We were nearly wiped out almost overnight. Less than five hundred warlocks escaped the slaughter, and most of them were just apprentices, who barely knew how to use their power. It wasn't until recently that we've gotten back up to enough numbers to start fighting back." He was crying now, tears flowing down his face. "I just wish my dad was here to help mm. I miss him so much. Half the time, I don't know what the hell I'm doing! I'm just making it up as I go along! I wish he was here to point me in the right direction! Why did he have to die? Why? Why why why WHY!?" He broke down and turned, burying his face in Yoshika's shoulder. Shirley leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, and they held him as he sobbed, his body shaking.

After a while, he calmed down and then gently pushed away from them, sitting up. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish you hadn't had to see me like that."

Yoshika shook her head. "No, Akira, don't feel bad. IT's okay, really. I'm glad we were able to help you!"

Shirley nodded emphatically. "That's right! What good are friends if they can't be there for you when you need them most?" She and Yoshika stood up and tugged Akira to his feet. "Come on, let's all head back inside and get some rest. I'm sure we'll have a busy day tomorrow."

Akira nodded. "You're right. And...thanks, both of you."

With that, the three of them turned and headed back into the base, each girl holding one of Akira's hands all the way back to his room.

**_I hope you guys like the story so far! Please, post reviews to let me know what you think! Feedback is greatly appreciated and it helps me write a better story! Thanks!_**

**_PS: I know I changed how Akira uses his magic. This way is much easier for me and makes more sense, and I just didn't feel like going back and changing it in the first chapter. Lol. Hope I didn't confuse you too much! Thanks for reading my stuff!_**


	4. Heartsong

"_Rivus!_"

BANG!

"Auuugh!"

THUD!

"Owowowowowowow OW! _Lupatriae filius_, that freakin' hurt!"

Yoshika came around the corner in time to see Akira sitting up from where he had been sprawled on the ground, the right sleeve of his shirt scorched and smoking. His arm was also raw and burned in several places.

"Omigosh, Akira!" she gasped, and dashed over to him, kneeling in the grass next to him. "Here, hold still a moment." She held her hands over his arm and channeled her magic, creating a healing field around the wounds. They started to heal immediately.

"Thanks, Yoshika," he said, smiling at her, then made a face. "Gah, it itches!"

She giggled at his expression, then looked at him. "What happened?"

He shrugged a little. "To be totally honest, I haven't the slightest idea. I was practicing my magic, and tried to use one of my standard fire spells, but instead of launching a ball of flame at that target over there, it blew up in my face and singed my arm. I don't have the foggiest clue what the hell went wrong."

She finished and let the magic fade away. Then she stood up and helped him to his feet. "You sure you'll be okay?" she asked, concerned. Those burns had been really bad, which was a testament to the sheer level of power he controlled. She didn't want to see him get hurt again.

He flexed his arm, and Yoshika blushed a little at the way his muscles rippled. "Yeah, I'll be just fine," he said, oblivious to her reaction. She turned and walked away suddenly, and he stared after her in confusion for a few moments, then shrugged and turned back to the target. He pointed at the dummy. "_Rivus!_" This time, the dummy burst into flames with a loud rush of air. Akira stared at it thoughtfully for a few moments, then pointed at it again.

"_Duratus!_" he said, then yelped as his arm was suddenly encased in ice to the elbow. "Crap crap crap crap ow ow ow ow!" He turned and smashed his arm against the wall behind him, and the ice shattered with a sound like glass breaking. He shook his arm to get feeling back into it. His fingers were blue at the tips and felt heavy and thick.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself. Why was his magic acting up like this all of a sudden? It had never done anything like this before, so why was it doing it now? He looked at the dummy, which was still burning. He hesitated, then slowly raised his hand, palm facing it. "_Immergo!_" A sphere of water coalesced in front of his hand and then shot forward, splashing outwards over the dummy and dousing the fire.

He stood there for a while, looking down at his hands. What on earth was going on? He'd never heard of anything like this from his teachers, so why was it happening now? There had to be more going on here than he was aware of; magic didn't just STOP working. Off on the other side of the base, the dinner bell started to ring. He turned and walked slowly in that direction still completely lost in thought.

He had always been considered powerful. The fact that he was an adept class warlock proved that. Only adepts were powerful enough to use the _anima proelium_ spell, which gave them access to the powerful battle forms. Akira had never used the spell himself, so he didn't know what his battle form actually was, and in many ways, he hoped it would stay that way. Warlocks were only supposed to use their _anima proelium_ if they absolutely had to and there was no other option. The reasoning for this was simple; even the weakest of the _anima proelium_ had enough power to level a city the size of London or Tokyo. It was also very easy for a warlock to lose themselves in the power of the _anima_, something warlocks called a "mind breach". When this happened, the warlocks mind was swamped with the energies of the battle form, and the _anima_'s personality took over completely. This usually resulted in the _anima proelium_ going on a devastating and nearly unstoppable rampage.

This had happened about a dozen times in the history of the warlocks. And every time, it had taken the combined might of six separate warlock councils to subdue the rampaging _anima_ and allow the warlock to reassert control. In the process, entire areas had been utterly devastated, towns leveled, forests flattened, lakes blown away. The damage was often incalculable, and the warlocks would spend days, sometimes months, even years, helping rebuild and repair after the destruction.

He reached the dinning hall and shook himself out of his brooding thoughts; it wouldn't do to worry the others right now. He would just have to figure out this thing with his magic later. For now they had to focus on the Neuroi attack that was expected to arrive in a few days. They needed to focus all of their time and energy on being prepared. Everyone greeted him cheerfully as he walked through the door, and he smiled, taking a seat between Yoshika and Perrine.

"How's your arm?" Yoshika asked in between bites of food.

"Oh? Did something happen earlier?" Perrine asked, looking over in interest.

Akira made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "Nothing much, really. I had a spell backfire on me and it burned my arm. Yoshika happened to be right nearby and healed it for me."

"How does a spell backfire?" Hartmann asked, glancing at Akira curiously. "I've never heard of magic doing that."

"That's because warlock magic is different from witch magic," Akira explained, taking a sip of water. "A warlock's control over their magic stems from our willpower. While we may use only one or two words to cast a spell, what the spell does is largely based on the intent of the person casting it." He raised a finger. "For example; _rivus!_" A small flame appeared on his fingertip. "See, that's the same spell word that I use to launch fireballs and create explosions. But because I was focused on creating just this small flame, that was all that was created. It's the same for all of my other spells. Our intent defines the effect."

"But how does that cause them to backfire?" asked Barkhorn.

"Because if a warlock's focus shifts while he's casting a spell, it can drastically alter the spell's effects," Akira explained patiently, enjoying himself. He'd always liked teaching others about the things he was able to do. Then something occurred to him and he smiled. "I've got an idea. How would you guys like to see some more of my magic? I have a few spells and skills that you guys might really like."

"Absolutely!" said Lynette, grinning excitedly. The others nodded in agreement.

Akira grinned and led them out to the hangar. He gestured for them to stand behind him and then closed his eyes to focus for a moment, then opened them and threw out his hands. "_Spera de Forma!_" Several spheres of energy formed to hover in the air about his head. "These are called the Spheres of Beauty. They're used for song spells."

"Song spells?" asked Yoshika in surprise.

Akira grinned at her over his shoulder. "What, did you think us warlocks were only good for causing chaos and blowing stuff up? We do have an artistic side, you know." He turned back to the spheres and closed his eyes. "_Canto!_"

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, slowly, quietly, sound began to flow from the spheres. It resolved into music, riseing and dipping, filling the air. The song was beautiful, unlike anything any of the girls had ever heard before. It was joyful and bouncy, and it got the girls tapping their feet. Soon, Francesca and Charlotte started dancing, and then the other girls quickly joined in. Akira flowed from one song to another, letting his music fill the air, smiling as the girls danced and laughed. After a while, when the girls were out of breath and he was almost out of songs, he let the magic go. The spheres faded away, and he sat down on the floor with the girls, who were all panting, tired, though still happy and grinning.

"That was amazing, Akira!" Charlotte exclaimed from where she lay sprawled on her back on the floor.

"Yeah!" Yoshika and Lynette said in unison. The other girls all grinned and nodded their agreement.

"Where did you learn those songs?" asked Sanya, causing Akira to start a little. She and Eila hadn't been dancing with the others, but had been sitting off to the side, listening quietly. Akira had totally forgotten they were there.

"Actually, my father taught them to me," Akira said, smiling a little at the memory. "Music has always been big thing in our family. That is most of the songs I know, sadly. I didn't get a chance to learn more from him."

"Why was that?" asked Francesca, innocently. Yoshika and Charlotte both tensed and Charlotte tried to clap her hand over Francesca's mouth, but Akira shook his head at them.

"No, it's alright guys," he said, motioning for Charlotte to let go. "My father was killed during the Neuroi's first attack wave." He told the others everything he had said to Charlotte and Yoshika two days before, though he left off the emotional breakdown. Everyone was very sympathetic to him, and that actually helped ease some of the ache he'd been feeling the last several weeks. They chatted for a while longer before everyone eventually had to get up to take care of their assigned chores.

Later that night, as Yoshika was headed back to her room, she happened to notice there was a light on over the terrace on the western side of the base, overlooking the sea. Thinking that someone had simply forgotten to turn it off, she walked outside and over to the switches.

"_Spera de forma!_" Yoshika froze, her finger on the light switch. That had been Akira, casting that song spell of his. "_Canto!_" She held still, barely breathing as music softly filled the air. She stepped out from around the wall and looked around. Akira stood at the railing, eyes closed, hands moving slowly as he controlled the flow of his magic and the sound. The song was beautiful, and yet very sad, making her heart ache and her eyes tear up a little. The song flowed on, and she noticed that Akira was also crying, though silently. The song ended and the echoes slowly faded away.

"Akira?" she said softly. He yelped in surprise and jumped, almost toppling over backwards over the railing, catching himself at the last moment.

"Yoshika!" he said, totally caught off guard. "I had no idea you where there! Don't do that, you nearly gave me heart failure!"

She giggled at the rueful expression on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

He shrugged and shook his head. "Eh, it's fine."

"So what was that song you were just playing? It wasn't one of the ones you showed us earlier."

"Oh, you heard that, hm?"

She nodded, and he sighed.

"That was what we warlocks call a heartsong," he said, turning to stare out over the sea. "Heartsong's are written when something powerful had happened to a warlock. The song is supposed to be a reflection of how the warlock feels within his heart. Many are happy, joyous songs, but some, like that one, aren't. I created that one in memory of my father."

Yoshika thought about it for a few moments, then looked at Akira. "Can you play it again please? I'd like to hear it again." Akira looked at her in surprise for a moment, then nodded. He closed his eyes and started to play, letting the music flow through him. Yoshika listened to the song, hesitating, then shook her head and made up her mind. She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms gently around his neck and pressed her face into his chest. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He smelled nice, like juniper and mint. She just stayed there, holding him, losing herself in the music and the warmth of his body against hers.

Akira almost froze in shock when she embraced him, but slowly recovered and wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her closer to him. She felt so right against him that he closed his eyes and smiled, feeling the rest of the tension and heartache flow from his body. New melodies sprang unbidden into his mind, and he let them flow out into the spheres, letting the song change and soar wildly. Now it was no longer a song of pain and loss, but was changing into a song of joy and love.

Behind them, and unnoticed by either, Charlotte shut the door soundlessly and grinned in delight. Then she turned and headed back to her room.

**_I hope you guys like it! Please, let me know what you think! And if any of you were wondering, the heartsong that Akira plays is "Bad Wings" by Glitch Mob. _**


	5. Ferrum Draco

The next morning, Akira woke up earlier than usual, showered, dressed, and then headed out into the early morning mist. He walked aimlessly for a while, lost in thought. After the song had ended, he and Yoshika had gone for a walk together, just talking, arms still around each other. They'd finally headed back to their rooms much later, and he had promptly fallen asleep. His dreams had been a confused tangle. He woke up less rested than he should have been. The truth was, he wasn't really sure how he felt about Yoshika. He'd never really had time to think about women like that in general; he'd been too busy trying to survive.

He had to admit he had enjoyed it immensely. Having her arms around him, snuggled against his side had felt...right. He'd learned so much about her, he hopes and dreams, things she was interested in, what her family was like. In return, he'd told her about his training, his friends among the warlocks, his teachers...and his father. When she told him about her father, he'd felt something loosen inside him, and it let him open up to her in a way he never had before. She now knew more about him than anyone else he'd ever been friends with.

In a way, that scared him a little. He'd never been a position like this before. It made him feel, well, vulnerable. He wasn't used to feeling this way, all open and exposed, and really had no clue how to deal with it. The breakfast bell started to ring, so he turned and headed back the way he'd come. As he passed the entrance of the dorms, Yoshika came sailing out and nearly collided with him. He caught her out of reflex as she stumbled, then froze for half a second. What should he do? Then he shrugged mentally. What the hell did he have to lose?

Yoshika giggled and righted herself. "Oops! Sorry about that, Akira!" she said, wrapping her arm around his. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded, grinning at her bouncy exuberance. "Yes, I did, thank you. What about you?"

"I sleep like a rock," she said, smiling and resting her cheek against his shoulder. She took another whiff of him like she had last night. He still smelled wonderful to her.

He chuckled suddenly. "It's my magic."

She looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"What you're smelling," he explained, grinning at the look on her face. "Smells like juniper and mint, right?" She nodded in bewilderment, and he chuckled again. "Yeah, that's what my magic smells like. The fact that you can smell it is actually kind of surprising. Normally only warlocks can detect the scent of a person's magic."

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" said Charlotte's voice from behind them, causing them both to turn. Charlotte, Francesca, and Lynette all walked up to them together. Charlotte took Akira's wrist and tugged him off to the side. "Akira, can you and I talk for a moment, please? There's something I need to discuss with you." Francesca and Lynette both grabbed one of Yoshika's arms and hustled her along to the dinning hall before she could protest. Once she was out of sight, Charlotte turned to him, arms folded, a smug grin on her face. "So?"

"Soooo what?" Akira asked, looking at her.

"So are you going to tell me what happened last night?" she asked, her eyes glittering mischievously.

On the inside, Akira grinned. Two could play this game. He folded his arms and regarded her cooly. "Why should that matter to you?"

She chuckled and pushed him playfully. "Don't tease, you jerk! I want details!"

Akira grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't resist messing with you. But as for what happened, well, nothing much. We went for a walk, talked for a while, and then went to bed."

"Well, what do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

She pushed him again. "Of Yoshika, silly! What do you think about her? How does she make you feel?"

Akira thought about that for a long moment. "She makes me feel...happy. We have a lot in common. We both lost our fathers, we're both considered very powerful magic users. We both have a lot to live up to. I feel like I can talk to her about anything at all, and she will understand where I'm coming from."

"So, you like her then?" she asked, prompting him.

"Well, yeah, I guess I do," he said, blushing a little.

"Good," she said, and folded her arms again and turned to walk away. She turned back to look at him. "Oh, and Akira?"

"Yeah?"

"Yoshika is one of my closest friends."

"Okay? What's your point, Shirley?"

The smile she gave him was all teeth and didn't reach her eyes. "My point is, if you hurt her, I will hunt you down and skin you like a deer, then use your hide for toilet paper, understand?"

He chuckled and mock saluted her. "Yes, ma'am, understood!"

She grinned, her normal friendly self back in place. "Good then. Now, let's go get breakfast, I'm starving!"

They caught up with the other three just as they reached the door to the dinning hall, and they all went in together. They sat down at the table, Yoshika sitting next to Akira. He started a little as he felt her take his hand and twine their fingers together under the table. He glanced around the table in time to catch a wink pass between Eila and Barkhorn. He froze for a moment, then set down his fork and looked around.

"Okay, do any of you not know?" he said, looking from one of them to the other, grinning a bit inspite of his irritation. They all blushed a little, but most of them nodded. "Well, if that's the case, then I don't see why we have to be subtle, since you all know and none of you seem to care." He reached down and grabbed Yoshika's chair, pulling her up next to him. She squeaked in surprise, then laughed. The others laughed and cheered as he put his arm around her shoulders, picked up his fork and resumed eating.

Yoshika blushed furiously, then they all froze as Major Sakamoto came into the room. She looked at them all, her uncovered eye lingering on Yoshika and Akira. Akira looked up at her, but kept eating.

"Sergeant Osaragi, what are you and Ensign Miyafuji doing sitting like that?" she asked, her gaze unwavering. Yoshika tried to stand up, but Akira tightened his arm and held her down. He swallowed his food and looked up at the major, his expression unreadable.

"Well, we're having breakfast together, ma'am," he said quietly. "After which I thought we would go for a walk, maybe get some training done in the process. Is there something else you'd like me to do for you?" He held her gaze unflinchingly, even though he was sweating bullets on the inside. Suddenly, she blinked, and he could have sworn there was the tiniest bit of a smile on the major's face.

"Very good, sergeant, carry on then," she said, then sat down and filled her plate and began eating. Afterwards, as he and Yoshika we walking along the outer path of the base hand in hand, she punched him in the shoulder.

"I can't believe you did that!" she cried, glaring at him. "You scared me half to death! We could have gotten in serious trouble if the major had disliked what we were doing!"

"But she had no problem with it," he said, then had to bite back a laugh at the expression on her face.

"What?" she asked, completely perplexed.

He tapped his nose. "Her scent told me. She approves of it. She was just messing with me was all."

She gaped at him, and this time he did laugh out loud. "It's FINE, Yoshika, trust me. I know what I'm talking about," he said, and squeezed her hand. "Now, what do you say we go back to the-"

He was interrupted as the raid siren went off.

"What, now?!" Yoshika yelped as the two of them turned and started to run back to the base. "But I thought the attack wasn't supposed to be for another two days at least!"

"So did everyone else," Akira said, grimly. "The Neuroi must have stepped up their time table for some reason. Come on, let's get in the air."

Five minutes later they were soaring through the clouds rapidly closing on the contact the radar had picked up. They split up into two groups. Yoshika, Akira, Eila, and Barkhorn made up the first group, while the second was comprised of Sakamoto, Charlotte, Francesca, and Hartmann made up the second. Lynette, Perrine, and Sanya had stayed back near the base to handle any that might get through the others.

"What the hell is that?" Barkhorn cried in alarm as the Neuroi came into view. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It was a perfect sphere, slipping from side to side as the girls opened fire on it, dodging the bullets with ease.

"_Duratus_!" Akira said, and razor sharp spears of ice flashed from his hands, but the Neuroi twitched sideways and they sailed harmlessly by. Then it did something unexpected. It changed form. It became like the humanoid one Yoshika had encountered so long ago. A blade of red energy appeared from the end of its arm and it lunged forward, slashing at Eila, who dodged hastily with a startled oath.

"_Voco gladius_!" Akira said, and a curved sword with an iridescent blade materialized in his hand. The Neuroi swung around and halted in front of him. Akira chuckled and twirled the sword in a figure eight pattern. "Well? Come on then, we don't have all day." The Neuroi dashed in, and their blades rang loudly as they clashed. Their movements were a blur, a constant stream of slices and parries, thrusts and slashes. The Neuroi scored a shallow cut down Akira's left arm, but he gashed it's right leg in response. They continued to fight for another three minutes until Akira suddenly noticed a gap in the Neuroi's fighting style. He didn't hesitate, but lunged forward, impaling the alien through the chest. It writhed on the blade, then immolated, turning to ash in a matter of moments.

"Akira, look out!" Yoshika cried, and threw herself forward, between Akira and the second, much larger Neuroi that none of them had seen coming. It smashed her aside, and she plummeted out of the air. With a cry, Akira dove after her and caught her just above the ground. She was unconscious and bleeding from a bad cut on her forehead, but she seemed to be okay. The others surrounded them, while above them the Neuroi simply hovered and seemed to be watching. Then it began to make a peculiar noise. It took them all a moment to realize it was laughing.

"Barkhorn, Eila, take Yoshika please," Akira said, quivering with barely contained rage. As soon as she was securely held in the other girls arms, Akira shot upwards, stopping to hover before the gigantic Neuroi. He glared at the creature for a long moment. "I can tell you're no foot soldier," he said, crossing his arms. "If I had to guess, I'd say you're some kind of leader, aren't you?" The alien nodded, and Akira gritted his teeth. "Well then, that'll make destroying you all the more satisfying. _Lumen_!" A brilliant beam of light lashed out from Akira's palm, but the Neuroi simply swatted it aside like a bothersome fly. Then it dashed forward and smashed Akira backwards with a huge backhanded slap. He recovered and lunged forward again, attacking with a renewed ferocity. But no matter how hard he tried, the Neuroi simply dodged or blocked his every attack.

"Well...you're...certainly a...tough bastard...aren't you?" he said slowly, panting hard. "Seems that...my normal tactics...aren't gonna work." He straightened up and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Well, that's fine. I'll just have to step it up." He made a complicated gesture with both hands, and two huge magic circles appeared on either side of him. He turned slightly to look at the girls. "I want you all to stay back. I have no idea what is going to happen here, so I want you to stay out of the way, alright?"

He turned back to the Neuroi. "You just opened a whole can of worms that you're gonna wish you'd left closed." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, then after a moment, began to speak. The voice was not his own, deep and resonating, and the words seemed to spring into his mind as though from somewhere else. "_Attendite nunc hue me fortis fpiritu! Salvum me fac, ut potentia ad vastandum quos charissimos qui nocet! Ira tua, veniat ut simo flatu nostri erroremque hostibus illum! Veni inquit, anima proelium, Quixos autem Ferrum_ _Draco_!"

There was a brilliant flash of light, which made the girls shield their eyes and turn away. When their vision cleared, they gasped in shock. Where Akira had been was a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. I was huge, at least ten feet tall, and it's body rippled with muscle. It's fingers were tipped with six inch claws, and three curved, razor edged bone spurs sprouted from the outsides of it's forearms and calves. There were also two more jutting from each of the creatures shoulders. It had two short horns on its forehead, and its eyes were slit pupils and an acidic yellow with flecks of orange and red. Its ears were long and pointed, and its mouth was filled with a double row of shark teeth. It also had a long, flexible, whip-like tail, and two gigantic wings flapped slowly, keeping the being aloft. Its entire body was covered with blood red and burnt orange scales.

"What...what?" whispered Yoshika, having recovered. She was confused. "What just happened? What is that thing?"

"That is his anima proelium, his 'battle soul'," said Sakamoto, staring at the creature that had take Akira's place. "It's an ability unique to warlocks. They can transform into powerful beings from other planes of reality. That one...that one is arguably the most powerful of them all, and hasn't been seen in more than two thousand years. His name is Quixos the Blade Dragon. We need to get further away so we don't get caught in the middle of this fight. Let's move!"

"That won't be needful, Major Sakamoto." Quixos turned to face them. His voice was like tectonic plates grinding together, rumbling up from deep within his chest.

"A-Akira?" Yoshika said hesitantly.

The mighty creature before them shook his head. "No, Yoshika Miyafuji, I am not the warlock you know as Akira Orasagi. Fear not, he is perfectly safe." He turned back to the Neuroi. "Now then, as for you, Dark One, you have no place here. Begone." He snapped his fingers and there was a tremendous explosion, the sky seeming to tear itself apart around the Neuroi. Quixos turned away and started to move towards the girls when a beam of energy lanced out from the cloud of smoke. He sidestepped and the beam sliced past him harmlessly. He turned; the smoke cleared, revealing the Neuroi still hovering where it had been before.

Quixos raised a scaly eyebrow. "Oh? That's quite impressive. There aren't many creatures that are capable of surviving that attack." He suddenly cocked his head to one side and sniffed the air. "Oho? What's this? The ability to nullify magical attacks? Well well well, that's most impressive indeed. But fear not, I have more than just my magic."

Quixos vanished, only to reappear behind the Neuroi. The creature spun around just in time to block the attack with one of the blades of energy from its arm. Quixos grinned, the bone blades on his arm locked tight with the Neuroi's blade. "Well, your reflexes are most impressive. Not that it will help you much." In the space of a few seconds, they trade more than eighty blows, faster than the eye could follow. Quixos started to laugh; it caused a shiver to pass down the girls spines.

"Is this really the best you can do?" he said, still laughing. "If this is the strength of the Neuroi, you have no hope of ever winning against even Akira Orasagi, my warlock partner, much less me. I have had enough sport. It is time to end this. Get out of my sight!" With two savage movements, he knocked the Neuroi's blades aside, and slashed the Neuroi across its "chest". He then turned and smashed his hand forwards. His hand pierced the Neuroi's body, and they hovered there for a long moment. Then the Neuroi immolated, burning away from the inside out. When the last of the ashes had drifted away, Quixos turned to the girls and made another sweeping gesture. There was a brilliant flash of light, and when the girls opened their eyes, they looked around in amazement to see that they were all back at the base.

Sakamoto rounded on Quixos. "What the hell did you do? How are we back at base?"

Quixos raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Peace, Mio Sakamoto. It was nothing more than a simple teleportation spell, that is all." He turned to Yoshika. "Now then, as for you, little one, I have a little something to tell you that I think you will find important. Please, come with me." He turned and walked out of the hangar. After looking at the others for a moment, Yoshika followed him out. After walking a short distance away, he turned to her and knelt down in front of her. Even kneeling, he was still more than a head taller than her.

"Do you know anything about the bond that is shared between a warlock and his _anima proelium_?" he asked after a moment. Yoshika shook her head, so he went on. "Well then, let me tell you this. I know what he is thinking and feeling at any given moment. I know his entire past, every little thing that has ever happened to him, even the things he himself has forgotten."

He gently put a hand the size of her head on her shoulder. "Believe me, he needs someone like you more than you could possibly know. He has been through so much, lost so much, and yet has never given up. Ever. He has never let the pain of his past and the losses he has suffered show to others." He looked away for a moment. When he turned to look at her, his expression was almost pleading. "Promise me that you will be there for him when he needs you most. You are the anchor he needs to keep him in this reality."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Keep him in this reality?"

"Every time a warlock uses the power of the _anima proelium_, they run the risk of something called a 'mind breach' occurring, where the _anima_'s personality completely takes over his. There is also another problem. Using this power also erodes some of the warlocks personality. In other words, the more he uses this power, the more he forgets who he is."

Yoshika gasped. "Really?"

He nodded sadly. "And the fact is it happens even faster with me because I am so much more powerful than any other _anima_. However, having those around who care for him will help him retain his sense of self. So please, promise me you will stay by his side and be there for him."

"We all will."

They turned to see all the others walking up to them. Charlotte folded her arms and grinned at Quixos. "We will all help him. He's our friend, after all. What else are friends for?"

Quixos smiled and nodded. "True. If that is the case, then I am content. I have seen it happen to every warlock I have ever been bonded with. I don't want to see it happen again." He stood up. "Well, my time is done for now. Remember, please, take care of him for me. _Redde me locum esse_." There was a blinding flash of light and a rush of air, and when their vision cleared, Akira stood before them. He looked at them for a moment before speaking.

"Well...Quixos the Blade Dragon, huh? Not what I expected, and yet not at all disappointed," he said, then his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed sideways. Yoshika caught him before he hit the ground, cradling his head in her lap.

"Akira! Akira, are you okay?" she said worriedly, shaking him gently. "Akira, wake up! Akira!"

Sakamoto held a hand against his forehead and checked his breathing. "Don't worry, he's fine. He just passed out from magic drain. Give him a good nights rest and he'll be just fine. Come on, let's get inside. We could all use some rest after a day like the one we've had." With Barkhorn and Hartmann carrying Akira between them, and Lynette supporting Yoshika, they all turned and headed inside.


	6. Interruptus

I apologize for the delay. Some family stuff has come up and I haven't had much time to write. Just wanted everyone to know that I haven't abandoned the story, and will pick it up again as soon as I have time to sit down and start writing again. Thanks a bunch to everyone who's read it so far!


End file.
